Lazy Birding, Trip To CleySpy & Gramborough Hill!

North Point, Wells-next-the-Sea

I spent all morning and until 2.30pm at North Point, Wells! As I arrived in the car park, there was only one other car here and it was Eddie's! We both scoped the pools for a while and then I walked north from the track, then west to the sea wall, where the coastal path goes through the small copse and found Brimstones, Speckled Woods, Orange Tip butterflies and also saw a male Blackcap and some Goldfinches. It was really hot and it was wonderful walking through that copse, as it was cool and shady in there – such a relief! I'm not a hot weather fan!

Highlights were my first dragonfly of the year: a Four-spotted Chaser, Blue-tailed Damselfly, a Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Spoonbills x 2. On the pools were the usual birds: Mute Swans, Redshanks, Avocets, Little Egrets, Lapwings, Mallards and Black-headed Gulls. In the scrub around the pools, I watched House Sparrows perched on the barbed wire fence and also Reed Buntings, Whitethroats, Linnets, Goldfinches and a Yellowhammer. I only saw one Swallow whilst here! I had my lunch in style sitting in my deckchair with the picnic table out and very relaxing it was too! Eddie joined me later on and then Chris S. turned up, who had just been to CleySpy, which is where I was heading next.

CleySpy Team! I was in the shop for nearly two hours, sorry! – I had a lot of things to sort and discuss! I have the Apple iphone 6, but will be changing it in the not too distant future. My Kowa TSN-IP6 Photo Adapter is not sitting right on my scope eye-piece, because it needs re-taping on the inside of the ring piece (Swarovski scope), which is why I'm getting vignetting on my videos recently (notably Black-winged Stilt videos). Even when taped (by Phil) it isn't perfect for long – things rarely are, when mixing different brands eg Kowa adaptor/Swaroski scope. So I was discussing what would be the perfect phone scoping equipment for me, for when I change my phone. I will be probably end up buying the Swarovski iphone adapter, but Swarovski have only made adapters up to iphone 8, so I will be upgrading to iphone 8! I was also eying up the expensive, but unbelievably light Manfrotto MT190 CX Pro3 Tripod, as my tripod is so heavy – very tempting indeed! I would keep my current tripod as well, for sea-watching. Andrew and I got into in-depth discussions about Apple phones, as he is a big Apple fan too and he very kindly gave me lots of advice. I left the shop with lots of things to think about. Need to get the new phone sorted first before I buy anything else.

Went to Glandford Ford (which a very pretty little spot, a stone's throw from CleySpy) to chill for a bit. I had not been here for ages, there was nobody here, lovely. I stood on the bridge and watched a lovely Grey Wagtail feeding in the pebbly stream. I was just about to return to my car to get the camera, when a lady walked up and sat on a low bit of concrete at the other end of the bridge and started throwing a big stick into the water for her collie dog to retrieve. Wagtail promptly shot off towards the mill. So my entertainment was now a lady shouting loudly 'get the stick then', dog charges loudly into the ford, splashing and jumping around and looks well happy! I was not! Dog then wines extremely loudly, yelping and barking and the lady repeats 'get the stick then' and more loud doggy barks and wines continue and so on. My blood pressure raises, my peaceful moment with the Grey Wagtail has been obliterated completely and I made a hasty retreat to my car!

Escaped to Beach Road at Salthouse and had my tea. John F. turned up for one of his many Gramborough Hill walks and I joined him to find no birds in the scrub at all – as I had gloomily predicted. But, we did have 4 Med Gulls flying over and of course there was always the Sand Martins to watch skimming over the sandy cliff. Walked back to our cars. I was thinking about going to Titchwell RSPB to see the 'still showing' Purple Heron, but decided to go home early instead!

On arrival home some of my recent purchases had arrived and been delivered to my neighbour whilst I had been out all day. The 25kg parasol base had arrived – which made me laugh, as I could hardly roll it and certainly couldn't lift it! I sighed when I opened the box, as I had to fix a central bit of tubing in and there was one of those horrible instructions leaflets which never makes any sense whatsoever – I did put it together in the end, but need to tighten up a bolt which needs a bigger spanner than I own, so will have to ask around to borrow one. The bistro set (small table and 2 chairs) had arrived too (for my patio), which I was very pleased with. Just the parasol and cover to arrive now! It was spitting with rain this evening and we are supposed to have some serious rain tomorrow afternoon – will this drop any megas I wonder?! Good night.